Pesto Turkey Tortellini Soup {30 Minute Meal}

Growing up in Vancouver, my parents and I made regular trips to the Granville Island Public Market, the city’s mecca for colorful produce, artisan foods and crafts, and the freshest seafood. Duso’s Italian Foods, the booth that sold fresh pasta and sauces was a revelation for us. So THAT was how pasta was supposed to taste! Each time we walked away with an armful of tortellini, both cheese and meat filled, and containers of pesto and olives. Heaven!

This pesto turkey tortellini soup recipe is an ode to those meals, and it quickly became a favorite of my older son, who is a sucker for anything involving tortellini and pesto. A chip off the ol’ block.

This soup follows the same basic formula that I use for most of my broth-based or tomato based soup recipes. Start off by cooking the ground turkey before sautéing the vegetables – onion, carrot and celery in this case – in a little olive oil. Next, add in the garlic and herbs before stirring in the broth and pesto. Ten minutes of simmering is all that’s needed to intensify the flavors before stirring in the tortellini.

Fresh, frozen or dried tortellini will work in this recipe. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time. Fresh tortellini will take no more than five minutes, while frozen will take a few minutes longer. For the dried variety, follow the package directions. When using fresh tortellini, cook at a lively simmer rather than a full rolling boil so that the tortellini doesn’t start to break apart.

Heat a large nonstick saucepan or cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through. Drain and discard the liquid. Transfer the ground turkey to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the olive oil to the saucepan. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, thyme and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the pesto and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a lively simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the ground turkey and tortellini, and cook until the tortellini is tender, 5 minutes for fresh and 8 minutes for frozen.

This looks so delicious! I love finding comfort food recipes that are also quick and easy to make … It’s much more comforting when you don’t have to spend three hours cooking and then wash 27 pans! 😉 (And I am so jealous of your trips to the market – those sound amazing!)